General News
23 February, 2023
Mallee misses out on targeted blackspot funds
Member for Mallee Anne Webster has voiced her disapproval over areas within Mallee missing out on targeted funding to improve mobile coverage. The Federal Government recently announced 54 target locations across rural, regional and remote Australi...
Member for Mallee Anne Webster has voiced her disapproval over areas within Mallee missing out on targeted funding to improve mobile coverage.
The Federal Government recently announced 54 target locations across rural, regional and remote Australia to be part of the $40 million Improving Mobile Coverage Round (IMCR) of the government’s Mobile Black Spot Program.
The three Victorian locations targeted by the program are Gisborne South, Woodend and St Leonards.
Dr Webster said the prevalence of poor mobile coverage in regional electorates is “gobsmacking” and that the recent funding did not target enough of the Mallee’s regional areas.
“It’s quite perplexing — how can over a third of Victoria geographically have not one tower funded by Labor, when we are all regional/rural/remote,” she said.
“In New South Wales 25 out of 26 locations chosen for the black spot funding are in Labor electorates.
“The Prime Minister said nobody would be left behind under a Labor Government, but forgot to mention that would depend on if they were in a Labor electorate or not.
“The problem itself of not being able to access mobile coverage is so prevalent in our regional electorates that it’s gobsmacking.
“It’s why we [Coalition] committed $875 million to over 12,000 mobile base stations when we were in government.
“But Labor have committed 54 in the first round, cut the funding significantly and are making none of it in regional centres that are really desperate, and that includes around Maryborough right over to the border.”
Mobile black spots are a wellknown issue in the Central Goldfields Shire, with signal becoming spotty just five to 10 minutes’ drive out of Maryborough.
Dr Webster said more funding must be directed towards areas like the Central Goldfields.
“North of Central Goldfields Shire some people literally have to climb on their roof or drive up a hill to try and get some signal,” she said.
“The Maryborough and Central Goldfields Shire region has a lot of trees, and a lot of valleys, so the difficulty in getting mobile access is aggravated.
“It has to be about population, and the regions around Central Goldfields ought to have signal, they’re not tiny towns.
“I’m calling on Labor to respect people who choose to live in the regions, and to pay some attention to towns and cities outside their own electorates.”